Pardew: 'Magpies not good enough'

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew says his side's overall performance this season has been below par.

Despite finishing 5th last term the Magpies are languishing in 16th in the Premier League table, and sit just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Speaking ahead of Newcastle's home match against Reading this weekend, Pardew said: "Our game plan that we had last year and the way we played might need to change to just make sure that we continue being a stable Premier League side.

"For us, it's now about getting the right complement of players and making sure we're strong and put some excitement on that football pitch between now and the end of the year, because in the first half of the season I don't think it's been good enough."